The Best Trail Running Shoes of 2024 (So Far) (2024)

Editor’s Note: We reviewed our shoe selections on July 7, 2023 and have updated our recommendations. The below models now include the top-performing shoes from our most recent rounds of testing.

Ready to hit the trails for your runs this summer? While there’s no bad time to explore off-road, it’s especially fun to escape the sizzling pavement and retreat to cool, quiet forests or shaded singletrack during the hottest months of the year. Of course, if you’re going to conquer mud and technical terrain, it helps to have dedicated trail shoes that bite into dirt and cushion your feet against rocks on your runs. See some of our top-rated trail options below, or scroll down for full reviews of these trail shoes and more of our test team’s favorites—plus buying info on how to choose your next pair.

The Best Trail Running Shoes

• Best for Long Runs: Topo Athletic Ultraventure 3
• Best for Steep Climbs: Hoka Mafate Speed 4
• Best for Wide Feet: Altra Lone Peak 7
• Best Plated Trail Shoe: Salomon Pulsar Trail
• Best All-Arounder: Saucony Peregrine 13

Why Trail Running?

What trail running means to each of us is as varied and unique as the off-road terrain that we cover. To some, it’s a spiritual, transformative experience. But you don’t have to have a transcendentalist mindset or nirvana to qualify as a trail runner. To lots of us, running a short trail adjacent to a local park is simply an easy way to add extra miles onto a regular neighborhood loop. These benefits are equally legitimate, and they’re what inspire ultrarunners and weekend warriors alike to spend more time outside.

What to Look for in a Trail Running Shoe

Whatever your preference or personal ideology, we think everyone can be a trail runner, especially with the help of a good pair of shoes. The two main things to consider before purchasing trail running shoes are what type your feet need (think stiff or pliable, neutral or stable, wide or narrow, high or low heel-to-toe drop) and what type of shoes the terrain demands. With the latter, try to think about whether the trails you encounter are technical or smooth, flat or steep, have loose or firm footing, and whether or not you cross water.

Rigid shoes with deep lugs (5mm+) are best on technical trails with poor footing, but they’ll also be far less forgiving, even uncomfortable, on road runs. These shoes will serve you better the more rugged the terrain and may work for day hiking as well. Hybrid shoes have shorter lugs (2mm to 4mm) and a softer on-road feel than their burly siblings, and are well-suited for soft singletrack and local wooded trails that don’t make you slow to a walk due to unsure footing.

How We Tested These Trail Shoes

Runner’s World has the most comprehensive shoe testing process in the industry. We work with more than 275 local runners of all abilities, ages, and sizes for real-world wear-testing on paved roads, dirt paths, and rocky singletrack trails. After a month of running more than 100 miles, our testers report their findings on features like fit, comfort, performance, and ride. While our wear-testers are putting miles on their shoes, the same models undergo a battery of mechanical tests in our RW Shoe Lab, to objectively measure the cushioning, flexibility, sole thickness, and weight of each. Our gear editors combine their own experience in the shoe with data from the lab and feedback from our wear-testers to create reliable, useful reviews of every shoe we test.

The following are trail shoes that we think deserve special recognition because of their value and overall performance both on foot and in the lab. These 11 shoes were tested by us, and at least one will likely offer the fit and function you need.

Though the “GTX” distinction suggests ankle-high waterproofness, the material only reaches to the top of the laces. The gaiter collar is instead a stretchy fabric, preferable for shielding against small debris and light drizzle. Not suited for deeper creek diving, this construction does breathe easier. After splashing through shallow riverbeds and rain-filled potholes, no testers reported the soggy wet squish they’d sometimes feel after sealing their feet inside GoreTex.

Interestingly, many runners will grab the GTX version for reasons other than waterproofness. The shoe’s outsole uses a different rubber than the non-GTX version. Nike finally made the switch to a stickier rubber. “The shoe performed wonderfully on all surfaces, especially the road,” said one tester, who put more than 120 miles on the shoe, equally split between road and trail surfaces.

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“This isn’t a workout or fast race shoe. This is the long-haul shoe,” one tester declared. He also noted how ultrarunners like Topo’s shoes because of their wide toeboxes. The Ultraventure is no exception. For gnarlier trails, you’ll want to choose the brand’s MTN Racer or Terraventure, which have toothier treads. (The Ultraventure 3’s lugs measure a fairly modest 3.5 mm in length.) The outsole, made of grippy Vibram rubber, is more lightweight and sectional than the previous iteration. Its lugs are shorter and wider as well, making the shoe versatile for both roads and trails.

“The Vibram outsole is sticky enough for rocky trails, but it’s not like a cleat,” said a tester. Even though the shoe doesn’t have a rock plate, the increased stack height—Topo added 5mm to the heel and forefoot—serves as a buffer on rugged terrain. The thicker midsole is composed of a new Zipfoam compound that’s lighter and more responsive. (It’s the same bouncy material used in Topo’s Ultraventure Pro model.) To ensure stability, the platform was widened, too.

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The Speedgoat might be more popular, but we’re going to claim the overhauled Mafate Speed is Hoka’s best trail running shoe right now—especially if your trails require comfort and versatility. We found this out firsthand by using the shoe to race up and down Whiteface Mountain. With a wide range of trail options to pick from, the Mafate was the race day choice for both myself and video producer Pat Heine-Holmberg to tackle the Olympic ski hill in New York’s Adirondack Park. I found it had more than enough bite on black diamond ski trails so I could claw my way uphill, but the cushioning protected my body when I had to dash back down 4,000 vertical feet over just 3.4 miles.

There have been a number of big changes to this model that make it more runnable and comfortable than before, including a new two-layer foam setup. The Profly+ midsole puts a lightweight, bouncy foam closest to your foot, which boosts comfort and makes the shoe feel alive when you’re running along hard-packed ground. The bottom layer is durable and firm enough to crush over sizable rocks and protect the bottom of your foot.

When you get into steep or muddy terrain, the shoe still shines. The outsole has been redesigned and there’s a lot more rubber underfoot. Each lug has three distinct tiers, giving you an enormous amount of sharp edges to cling to the ground. Plus, it’s Litebase, to help keep weight in check—Litebase makes the sole thinner and lighter, without diminishing traction.

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The Catamount 2’s SkyVault midsole plate is specially made for enhancing proficiency on the uphill, and then smoothing and stabilizing the ride on your descent, making it primed for rolling trails. The plate is curved in the forefoot to help propel you quicker off your toes on the ascents. It also doubles as a rock shield.

Testers liked the shoe’s pop, describing the ride as “fast and fun.” Some, however, said it traded support for a lighter weight. “My current go-to is the Brooks Caldera 6, which has a mattress-like midsole,” said a tester. “So, I wasn’t surprised I was feeling more of the ground with the Catamount 2.”

Testers found the TrailTack rubber outsole “super grippy” on wet logs and in freezing rain. Gear editor Amanda Furrer experienced this reliable grip during a 5K, mid-December, on a morning damp with flurries and nonstop drizzle. She said the grip has improved from the Catamount’s debut model.

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“The route I run most is a four-mile loop on a mountain that has every kind of surface that one can expect to get in Pennsylvania—gravel, technical downhills, rocky climbs, and water crossings,” said one tester who put more than 150 miles of running on the shoe in both wet and dry conditions. “This shoe grips all of it. The traction is fantastic, and the cushioning is ample, but still allows for ground feel and solid footing on rock.”

But, let’s be honest. Traction has never been an issue for the Lone Peak. A secure fit has. Altra has tinkered with its upper to ensure that its roomy toeboxes allow for natural foot movement and toe splay, but not too much motion that it feels sloppy. It’s a tough balance to get right. While the sixth version’s customizable lacing system did the trick for some, this version feels more locked-in from a new stitch-less upper. Fewer bulky overlays and no seams let the mesh wrap the foot more closely without wrinkling and bunching.

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Salomon’s Sense Ride has been a cult favorite among both beginners and longtime trail racers. Its firm, durable cushioning handles daily jogs and long runs comfortably, and the moderate heel-toe offset feels accessible to low-drop and high-drop runners alike. The new Pulsar Trail has similar traits, but adds an energy-return boosting perk—a propulsive TPU plate that Salomon calls “Energy Blade”—for just a $10 price bump. Testers said the Pulsar feels slightly softer and more responsive than the Sense Ride, and praised its reliable traction and secure inner fit sleeve. “The cushioning is protective and bouncy, but not super plush. I didn’t feel sharp rocks underfoot and my turnover still felt fast,” said one tester who logs about 50 miles of road-to-trail running per week. “There’s a slick and mossy flat rock on the Warren Highlands trail that I test every trail shoe on. I’ve bit the dirt many times on it, but not while wearing the Pulsar. I felt super confident bombing down the descent.”

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Saucony’s Peregrine line has long been a speedy trail shoe that works well for many types of runners in a wide variety of conditions. It’s just as suited for newbies’ first footprints on a muddy trail as it is for shielding vert-chasers’ toes on rock-strewn singletrack. And, it’s earned multiple awards from our team for its versatility—across terrains, foot shapes, and distances—at a price that didn’t break the bank. It still does all of those things well, and now uses a softer upper mesh and has 1.5mm more cushioning than last year’s version.

The shoe still has the same forefoot rock plate as the v12. And, it actually drops some weight overall, thanks to Saucony’s tweaked Pwrrun foam formula (borrowed from the brand’s light and peppy road models). We found the v13 builds on the Peregrine’s versatility for longer distances without sacrificing agility or responsiveness.

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For the first Trailfly G 270 (originally called the TerraUltra G 270), Inov-8 debuted a new iteration of its Powerflow foam. The material incorporates more TPU in the mix, which both returns more energy and feels more forgiving. Sitting on top of that midsole is a fresh footbed to match. (Made from tiny compressed TPU beads, it’s more responsive than a regular foam or gel insole.) Together, those two elements combine for a ride that feels like a firm Salomon with some subtle bouncy Adidas Boost undertones—without losing good connection to the trail.

That energetic midsole is unchanged for the v2. In this update, Inov-8 focused on the upper, improving the overall stretch and breathability of the material to let your pinky toes splay and breathe easier. Testers told us the additional padding around the ankle collar also feels softer and locks down the heel more securely.

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The Bushido has been around for awhile, but it continues to earn a spot on this list. Why? This burly trail crusher brings plenty of structure and support to a responsive platform. But the outsole is what we like most—sticky, aggressive lugs line the perimeter and bottom of the shoe, making it easy to virtually grab hold of uneven terrain. We also appreciated the heavy-duty toe cap, which protects the foot, should you kick into rocks. A breathable mesh upper and just the right amount of cushion in the midsole make this standout shoe versatile enough to manage long, slow mileage as well as speed workouts.

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Over the years, the Moab model has become the most popular and most sold boot in the world, and has evolved over several different iterations. Among the most recent is the Flight, a low pared-down version of the original that gives trail runners a taste of the Moab action. A taller drop and stout build preserve some of that “fast hiker” feel, but also make the Flight more accessible to runners coming from high-offset road trainers like Brooks’s Ghost or Asics’s Kayano.

The Flight uses none of the dense EVA foam found on the original Moab, and instead recruits Merrell’s new FloatPro midsole. The material feels lighter and softer, and relies on its thickness rather than a rock plate to add protection underfoot. It results in a burlier ride, but offers a seriously appealing amount of cush per dollar. (Testers only felt stones poking through the softer midsole on more rugged technical trails.) If you’re looking for a blazing-fast Merrell, we recommend the new MTL Skyfire 2.

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While VJ models like the Maxx and the XTRM are specifically built for obstacle course racing and trail running, the Ultra is specifically designed for mega-distance. It adds considerably more cushioning underfoot, which feels lightweight yet ample for spending hours to days on the trail. But, the best part of VJ shoes is still the traction, and the Ultra lives up to the brand’s hashtag #BestGripOnThePlanet. The butyl-rubber outsole is studded with 4mm, chevron-shaped lugs, which give the Ultra a really tacky hold on wet, jagged surfaces. “The traction this shoe had in all conditions was insane,” said one tester. “I ran these shoes through everything from bone-dry trails to monsoon summer rainstorms and was blown away—definitely the most grip I’ve had on a trail shoe, hands down. On short road stretches, the feeling is like walking across a dirty dive bar floor on a hot summer day—sticky.”

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